Moms Helping Moms: Hurricane Matthew Update

The National Hurricane Center stated that while Hurricane Matthew is no longer classified a hurricane, it is still considered a post-tropical cyclone. With maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, the same as a category 1 hurricane, the situation continues to be dangerous. Currently, North Carolina is feeling the brunt of the remaining storm. The eastern part of the state will experience devastating flooding for several more days as rivers top their banks.

The Latest Stats

• The storm killed at least 1,000in the Caribbean, almost entirely in Haiti. Four deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic and one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

• Matthew killed at least 17 people in four states — seven in North Carolina, four in Florida, three in Georgia and three in South Carolina, authorities said.

• City officials in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia, declared a local state of emergency. Officials in both cities issued statements urging citizens to stay off roads and opened emergency shelters.

• One thousand people in North Carolina were rescued thus far, some in dramatic helicopter operations, and 3,000 people are still living in shelters, authorities said Sunday. More than 585,00 customers still lacked electricity Sunday night.

Haiti

The poorest nation in the Americas is now faced with a severe public health crisis. A cholera epidemic is spreading through rural communities lacking clean water, food and shelter. If not treated, cholera can kill within hours.

Resources in the area are limited. Electricity is out and water and food are scarce. Hospital beds, cars and ambulances are not readily available. Patients are coming to the hospital from miles away, often carried by family members on camp beds.